@ @ Civilization or Political: The Reality of the Present Tension between the Muslim World and the West
establish strong roots, mainly because they lacked a powerful communal backbone, or ‘asabiyya as Ibn Khaldun called it. A period of political stability was finally achieved by Abd al-Rahman (138/756-172/788), the first of the Umayyad princes, and his successors. Yet, it was not until the long reign of Abd al-Rahman III (300/912-350/961) that Muslim Spain began to experience and display the cultural genius it came to be associated with. It is important to remember, however, that the first phase of the Andalusian cultural flourishing developed under the influence of, and in response to, the scientific and cultural revival of the Abbasid Orient. Andalusian architecture began to exhibit its unique character, which would later become the epitome of Mediterranean style, but Andalusian poetry, philosophy and Islamic jurisprudence, were largely reflecting eastern influences. Inherent forces of political factionalism put an end to the Umayyad Caliphate by the beginning of the eleventh century (403/1013). Muslim Spain, now retreating in the face of the Christian re-conquest, was shattered into pieces by the Party Kingdoms (403/1013- 479/1086), shortly re-united by the revivalist Almoravids, returned to inner divisions (539/1143- 549/1154), and then ruled by Almovahids until the rise of Muhammad b. Nasr of Banu al-Ahmar (627/1230) and the founding of Imarate of Granada. It was, surprisingly, during this period of continuous political shifting and uncertainty, in the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries that the uniqueness of the Andalusian experience affirmed itself. For two hundred years, Muslim Spain would exercise intensive and creative influence on medieval Europe. F. Gabrieli, assessing the role played by Muslim Spain in the relations between Christian Europe and Islamdom, wrote that:
Muslim and Muzarabic Spain, before its re-conquest by the Christians, was the theatre and the most important centre of this new contact. Contacts between the West and Graeco-Arab culture in other Mediterranean areas such as Sicily and Italy were of
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